Order Discusses Harry
by LumosSword134
Summary: One-Shot. The Order is frustrated by Dumbledore's lack of information concerning Harry and especially the mysterious prophecy they all know exists - and yet nobody knows what it foretells.


"But the Longbottom boy said the prophecy broke."

"Dumbledore knows what the prophecy says anyway, I'm sure of it." Kingsley paced along a narrow space in the kitchen of the Burrow. " _Why_ won't Dumbledore tell us what it says?"

Bill rolled his eyes, "What, you can't deduce that as well?"

"Bill!" Molly cried, both at Bill's tone and the implication of his words.

"I know you refuse to believe the rumors, Mum, but look at what Harry's _done!_ "

"Just because he's done some things, doesn't mean he's _The Chosen One!_ "

"Fine," Bill said, standing up in frustration and throwing his teacup in the sink, where it broke into several pieces. The group had been arguing back and forth since Dumbledore had left the meeting ten minutes before. He had explained the events that had led up to Sirius's death, why they could no longer use Grimmauld Place as headquarters, and what Harry's part had been in the events that had unfolded. And yet they still all felt infuriatingly uninformed about it all - about why Harry was seeing visions of Voldemort, and especially about the mysterious prophecy that Dumbledore seemed unable to explain properly. The rumor that it named Harry as the only one who could defeat the Dark Lord was circling around the Ministry already. The Order hoped that confronting Dumbledore about it would force him to address it in some form or another. Instead he had joked that it would no doubt improve Harry's summer to read such uplifting news in the papers.

The Order members were clinging to the fact that, although he had not given the rumor merit, he had _also_ not denied it.

"What do you _know?_ " Lupin muttered quietly, as if Dumbledore were still there. He had his hands together resting his chin, staring off blankly. Elphias Doge and McGonagall were likewise expressionless, except for the slight furrow of McGonagall's brow. Hestia Jones, Dedalus Diggle, Emmeline Vance, Tonks, and Mad-Eye Moody hung back crowding the corner. Mundungus Fletcher, alone unconcerned, had left just after Dumbledore. Severus Snape had not appeared at the meeting at all.

Bill repaired the teacup with magic and rejoined the conversation.

"Minerva," Kingsley said with the air of someone pulling at strings, "you are close with Professor Dumbledore, you are Harry's head of house." He raised his eyebrows as if to say, "Seen anything interesting?".

"I don't know anything Albus hasn't shared with all of us." But her expression was oddly distant. "Protecting Potter has always been Albus's greatest priority."

"Defeating Voldemort is his greatest priority."

"What exactly are you saying, _Mad-Eye?_ " Elphias Doge asked with uncharacteristic harshness, as if bringing up an earlier argument.

"Whatever Dumbledore's planning, it's to defeat Voldemort. Whatever part Potter plays, it's to defeat Voldemort."

"Oh, so he can't possibly wish to protect the life of an innocent child," Doge said, removing his glasses to more easily glare at Mad-Eye. "He is the headmaster of a _school_ , Alastor - he cares about these sorts of things."

"Your quickness to defense is rather interesting, Doge. Worried about something?" Moody narrowed his magical eye on him. "You know I've always felt Dumbledore's heart to be too good for him. Potter may get lucky a lot - but he is still a kid. He has no chance against You-Know-Who and Dumbledore knows it. It's illogical to put a kid out there like that, but perhaps Potter has another role to play?"

"What's he going to do? The kid's fifteen!"

"Not exactly an innocent bystander, though, is he?"

Everyone turned to Lupin, who was rubbing his eyes so aggressively it looked painful. When he stopped, he look upon them all again with redder eyes and a shakier voice.

"He's overcome Voldemort several times already, more times than most of us. What if it's not just luck? What if there _is_ something more to Harry neither of them are telling us?"

A pregnant pause followed this statement.

"He saw Arthur attacked thousands of miles away," Lupin continued. "And his scar hurts him sometimes… Si -" Lupin took a moment to collect himself. "Sirius's mentioned it before. Does anyone here know what that means?"

Nobody stepped forward.

"Does _Harry_ know what it's all about?" Hestia asked.

"Maybe knowing the prophecy gives away the secret." Dedalus Diggle looked around expectantly, hoping someone would validate his comment by nodding. "Maybe it explains how Harry will win, so they _can't_ let us know, it's too risky."

"All that is just wild speculation - we don't know what the prophecy says" Molly said, staring fixedly at the center of the table.

"But if it says that Harry - ,"

"But we don't know what it says!" Molly repeated.

"But if it names - ,"

" _We don't know what it says!_ " She was almost shrill now.

"Does it matter what it says?" Lupin implored. Everyone stared at him as if to say 'of course it matters!', but Lupin continued, "I'm confident Dumbledore would never let anything happen to Harry, and I'm confident he knows what the prophecy says even if he is vague about it to us. In fact _especially_ because he is vague about it. We don't know if he has told Harry, or if there's even any reason to tell Harry."

"There isn't a reason to tell him anything until he's of age!"

"That implies there's something to tell him at all." Emmeline said. Molly seemed to realize this too and began rubbing her temples furiously. "But why is that a bad thing? Shouldn't we be happy to have some hope? To have someone to believe in?"

"A fifteen year-old-boy is not someone to believe in, he's someone to protect!"

"Are they mutually exclusive?"

Moody scoffed.

"Oh, come on Mad-Eye," Bill continued, "is it really so difficult to believe Harry is going places? What had you achieved by his age?"

"He's going to his grave if we don't prevent it, that's where he's going!" Moody barked.

"Stop it!" Molly cried.

"Mum! Why are you lying to yourself? You know Harry a lot better than most of us! Do you really expect him to sit back and let us fight You-Know-Who for him?"

"Yes! Yes I do!" Molly's voice was rising, "And why shouldn't I? No one else seems to care about keeping him safe! He has no other mother! His aunt doesn't give two knuts about him! Sirius was reckless! We are the only ones in the whole world looking out for him!" She glared at them all and Elphias Doge actually took a step back. "Why do I feel like I'm the only one who wants to keep him _alive?_ "

"But Harry's not going to see it that way!" Bill cried, alone unafraid of Molly's wrath. "Tonks - you remember being a teenager! You didn't think of yourself as too young to do anything, did you?"

"I'm staying out of this," Tonks said without missing a beat.

Lupin interrupted. "I want to protect Harry more than I want anything else in the world, but I agree with Bill. He's trying to see it through _Harry's_ eyes. Merlin's beard, we're essentially _spying_ on him - do you really expect him to feel comfortable with that?"

A quiet voice came out of the corner, "He knows about that?"

"Of _that_ , I'm sure he knows."

Everyone exchanged uncomfortable looks.

"Well, he should know it's for his own protection..." Doge said timidly. "If he would just confide in us - he surely cannot blame us for looking out for him. If anything, he should feel fortunate to have so many of us care for his well-being."

Arthur laughed. "Has anyone else here raised a teenager? No? Well, Molly and I have raised seven of them. It does not matter that we're doing it for his safety, teenagers consider adults the enemy and will keep secrets from us simply because they _can_ \- "

"We aren't dealing with normal teenage rebellion, _Arthur_ \- ," Moody snapped.

"None of this is normal! We're dealing with a kid whose entire life has been shaped by murder - who's encountered Voldemort four times already despite being _looked after_. It's amazing he trusts any of us at all! To be honest, I have no idea how he's managed to stay so together... Which if anything makes me think - if the prophecy really does say he's the Chosen One - ."

"Which it _doesn't!_ \- "

" _Whatever_ it says," Lupin interrupted, "it doesn't change anything for us. Voldemort is still going to go after Harry, and we're still going to make sure that never happens. Prophecy or no, Harry's got to realize by now he'll have to live the rest of his life protected by the Order - or the Ministry if they ever get their act together."

Tonks downed her tea dramatically then said, "welp - Harry's really gonna love that!"

Bill and Remus both smiled, but Remus's quickly turned back into a scowl. Nobody else seemed to find Tonk's lightheartedness reassuring. The war had only just begun and yet it already felt as though it was never going to end.

"He wants to be an Auror," McGonagall noted offhandedly.

Several people looked around, trying to determine from other faces if this was good or bad news.

"And let's make sure he lives long enough to do it." Moody nodded appreciatively. "We could use the extra hand. Lupin - Tonks." He jerked his head toward the door. "Time to scare those Muggles of Potter's now."

"I must be off too," Emmeline Vance said, "Kingsley, switching watch at midnight?"

Kingsley nodded and Emmeline followed Moody out the door with the loud POP! indicating she had disapparated.

Molly began pulling dishes from the table, not taking particular care and spilling tea onto the tablecloth. The guests seemed to realize the meeting was over and began collecting their bags and jackets. Remus sped toward the door as if he were in a great hurry.

"Remus, dear?" Molly began, "Why don't you and Tonks - ,"

But he appeared to have not heard her.

Tonks gave Molly a look that said 'thanks anyway' as she pulled on her jacket. "We'll wait for you and Arthur." She followed Lupin out into the yard.

Bill magically cleaned up the spilled milk on the tablecloth, said goodbye to Professor McGonagall, and headed upstairs instead of outside like the rest.

Arthur was helping Minerva out of her seat, who was still weak from the Stunning Spells cast by Umbridge and her Aurors.

"Minerva, please, you are welcome to stay - ."

Minerva gave a shaky smile. "I appreciate it, Arthur, but your children arrive home tonight, and I'd rather not disrupt the reunion - I think Ron and Ginny would prefer to have you to themselves"

The tea cups and plates zoomed, completely clean, back to their spot in the cupboard.

"Ready dear?" Arthur said to his wife as McGonagall stepped out into the garden. But Molly was standing still, hiding her face. "Molly, are you alright?"

"Our children are all almost of age…. Bill's already part of the Order. Fred and George are one argument away from joining. I'm sure Ron and Ginny will want to when they're old enough, and I have no doubt Harry will. I can't bear it if anything were to happen to them. We - we can't stop them from joining. We can't do _anything_..." her voice cracked. Arthur blinked through his own watery eyes. He drew Molly into a hug. "I know… It is a curse to have raised such brave children."

A clinking sound at the door indicated the return of Tonks.

"We're going to be late if we don't head off. Train arrives in ten."


End file.
